The Hour Glass

The Hour Glass is a public house and restaurant dating from the early to mid-19th century, with later 19th-century alterations and further changes to the interior in 1995/6. The building is constructed of mass wall construction, originally stuccoed and painted, with a slate roof with lead rolls and brick chimney shafts. It occupies a prominent corner site, built on a sloping plot with basement access at the rear.

The front elevation, overlooking Melbourne Street, has three storeys and an asymmetrical three-window arrangement. There are deep eaves. The Melbourne Place elevation features a panelled front door with a plain overlight, and two late 19th-century bar windows with high transoms. The first and second floor windows above are small-pane sash windows of the 19th century. A large, three-light bar window with a high transom is on the corner, with a boxed sash window above it, also with small panes.

The ground floor and basement have been gutted to accommodate the current use. Any interesting features may survive on the upper floors. The building is a well-preserved example of an early or mid-19th century public house, situated in a significant location in relation to listed buildings on Colleton Hill, and to a group of buildings in Colleton Row and Crescent, recognized as part of a spot-listing survey.